Crossed Paths
by Ownage Imminent
Summary: Amy is an ordinary highschool student. Shadow is a warrior from another world. When the two cross paths, both of their worlds fall into danger. Rewrite in progress, the plot will be much better this time.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: My other stories are still being worked on. Just because I am posting another story does not mean my other stories are on hold.**

**Enjoy**

Chapter 1: From Far Away

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the hedgehog or any related characters, only the plot for this story.

The serene silence of the forest was broken by two figures sprinting through it desperate to lose their pursuers. One was a male black and red hedgehog clad in the armor of a Japanese samurai. The other, a white female bat dressed in a purple robe that signified her position as a mage. In the arms of the bat was a clay urn the size of a pineapple. Shouts from behind them signified that their pursuers were gaining on them.

"We're gaining on them!" One of the pursuers shouted, "Archers ready your weapons. They must not escape with the artifact."

The bat and the hedgehog looked at each other in fear.

"Rouge," The hedgehog said drawing his katana, "Go on ahead, I'll stay behind and slow them down."

"Don't be ridiculous Shadow," The bat replied, "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for my sake."

"Then we need to stop and face them," Shadow said, "We'll be defenseless against their archers if we continue like this."

Rouge nodded in agreement and the two stopped and waited. Seconds later a shower of arrows rained down upon the two. Rouge touched her hand to a round red jewel that she wore around her neck and shouted an incantation. The arrows were deflected away from the two as if they hit a barrier. Rouge lowered her hands and Shadow got into a fighting stance with his sword.

"Get ready," Shadow said, "I'm going to need your power to defeat them."

Rouge nodded and touched the jewel on her necklace. As the soldiers began to surround them, Shadow began to glow. As soon as the soldiers surrounded them, Rouge muttered another incantation. With such speed that the eye could not follow him, Shadow zipped forward and slashed soldier after soldier until the they were nothing but a pile of dead bodies.

Shadow turned around to tell Rouge to release her spell only to see one of the soldiers get up off of the ground and hurl a knife at her. Even with his enhanced speed, Shadow was unable to outrace the knife. The blade hit Rouge in the back and dug into her spine. As Rouge collapsed, Shadow charged in rage at the soldier and decapitated him with a single swing of his sword. Shadow then turned and ran to Rouge who was on the ground.

"No, NO," Shadow shouted as he cradled Rouge in his arms, "This can't be happening, You saw into the future before we started this mission. We were supposed to get out of this together."

"The future is always changing Shadow," Rouge said, "I must have predicted wrong. I would heal myself but I never learned healing spells. Listen, I'm losing blood and I don't have much time. More soldiers will be here soon. We must not let the urn fall back into enemy hands. If they get it, our world will fall for good. I am going to send you to another world that is beyond our own. This will buy you some time but only a little bit for the enemy will find you. There, you will find someone else who you can form a contract with. Together you must work with her to protect the urn from the enemy. During your time there you will teach her how to use magic. When you fall in love with her, that is the time that you must return to this world and destroy the enemy for good."

"No one could ever replace you Rouge," Shadow said, "If you go I will vow to never love again."

"Trust me Shadow," Rouge said, "You will learn to love her. Together the two of you will have the strength to take down the enemy. It will take time, but you will succeed."

Rouge took the necklace off of her neck and gave it to Shadow saying, "Give this to her. It will help her use magic. There will come a time when she is strong enough that she won't need it. When that happens, victory is imminent and you must strike the enemy hard."

Rouge coughed up some of her own blood.

"It's time for me to go Shadow," Rouge said, "I will send you on your way."

Before Shadow could protest. Rouge snapped her fingers and Shadow was gone. Rouge closed her eyes and waited for death to take her.

***Meanwhile

"AMY ROSE!"

Amy woke and jerked up in her seat only to face the angry expression of her teacher. The female human glared at her before speaking.

"That was the last straw for you young lady," the teacher said, "See me after class."

Some of the people in the class burst out laughing but were immediately silenced by the stern expression from the teacher.

"Keep laughing and you'll see me after class as well," The teacher said, "Now turn to page 197."

Amy sighed, this wasn't the first time she had fallen asleep in class. In fact, class seemed to be the only time she was able to sleep. Ever since her father died, she had been having nightmares every single night. Hence, she hardly got any sleep. This caused quite a few incidents in class.

The class went forward, the teacher trying to cram as much information into the students heads before the bell rang. Luckily it was the last class of the day so there wasn't a risk of making any other teachers mad.

The bell rang and Amy packed up her books and waited for all of the students to file out of the classroom so the teacher could deal out her punishment without any interference. The last student to leave was a green hedgehog who was the resident heartbreaker and bully of the school. He called himself Scourge.

Scourge saluted Amy mockingly and Amy was very tempted to give him the finger. However, she resisted as it would only get her in more trouble.

Once Scourge left the teacher closed the door, looked at Amy, and sighed. The teacher immediately dropped her harsh attitude and softened.

"Amy, Amy," The teacher said, "Why can't you sleep at night like anyone else."

"You already know the answer to that," Amy replied sourly, "I keep having nightmares about my father dying in that building. Or have you forgotten what happened."

"I know," The teacher replied, "Your father was a firefighter and died when a burning building collapsed with him in it. It was in the papers. Sorry for yelling at you, I know you're going through a lot but I can't have you sleeping in class."

"I know," Amy said, "Other students might get ideas."

"Exactly," The teacher said, "Well, since you're going through a lot I won't give you detention. But please for the love of God try to get some sleep at night."

"I will," Amy replied.

"Alright," The teacher said, "You can go home now."

"Thank you," Amy said, picking up her backpack and walking out of the room. Since the teacher held her after class she would have to walk home. The buses ran on a pretty tight schedule.

Amy walked down the hall and out of the school. It was cloudy and slightly windy but that was to be expected of fall in Station Square. At least the air was crisp. Amy tugged at her coat to keep herself warm from the cold breeze.

Amy walked down the Station Square boulevard. She passed the shops as they were closing and walked down the subway entrance to catch a train home. The subway was mostly abandoned which was surprising that most people were getting off work at this time. Amy did the usual routine of buying a ticket and feeding it into the machine so she could get on the train.

Once on the train, Amy put in her headphones and turned on her music. It was one of the few things that could comfort her when she was in a bad mood. She smiled as the song _For Those Who Wait_ by FireFlight came on her Ipod. She thought the song described her pretty well. After her father died she had been waiting, waiting for her comfort to arrive. Whether it was a friend or something else she was waiting for comfort to arrive.

After 15 minutes the train came to a stop and Amy got off and walked toward the exit. She immediately wished that she had stayed on the train as the exit was blocked off by three thuggish looking panthers. Amy started to turn around but the thugs noticed her and began to walk toward her. Amy turned around to get back on the train but it had already left. She was alone and three lowlifes were about to corner her.

"Easy princess," the leader of the thugs said, "We just want to talk."

"I've had a really bad day," Amy said, "Could you please just let me go. I don't have much money."

"You think we're going to rob you," The lead panther said, "No no, we just want to talk. What's a little high school girl like you doing in a rundown subway like this. You miss the bus or something?"

"I fell asleep in class and the teacher held me back after class," Amy said.

"Oh so you're a bad girl," The panther said, "We can't just let a bad girl like you walk off without some punishment."

Amy sprinted to the exit but was blocked off my one of the thugs.

"Where do you think you're going?" The thug said pulling out a combat knife, "We're just getting started."

The other thugs also pulled out knives and Amy began to shiver in fear.

"Scream if you want little girl," The lead thug said, "No one is here to save you."

There was a large flash of life and a black hedgehog wearing the armor of a samurai appeared between the thugs and Amy. In his right hand was a katana, in his left was an urn and a necklace with a jewel on it. The thugs halted as the hedgehog looked from them to Amy and back to them.

The hedgehog clearly realized what was happening because he put out his hand toward Amy and said, "My name is Shadow. If you want to live, take my hand and say 'I accept the terms of your contract.'"

Amy desperately grabbed the Shadow's hand and said, "I accept the terms of your contract."

There was a flash of green light. The samurai hedgehog let go of Amy's hand and turned to face the thugs.

"What were you planning to do to this girl?" Shadow said.

"Not much, just a little rape and murder," The lead thug said.

"You'll have to get through me first," Shadow replied getting into a fighting stance.

"I doubt that sword is even real," The lead thug said, "Come on boys, lets gut this freak."

The three thugs charged.

Three swing of a sword later, the thugs lay on the ground with their heads next to them. Amy screamed at the sight. Shadow put the urn in the pocket of his armor. He then touched the jewel on the necklace he was holding and muttered 'disintegrate.'

The bodies of the thugs crumbled into dust and blew away in the wind of the subway.

Amy stood there thunderstruck at what had happened. She finally closed her eyes and began to talk to herself.

"This is just a dream," Amy said to herself "Samurai don't exist anymore. When I open my eyes I am going to wake up in my bed and everything will be normal."

"This is reality, not a dream," A voice said. When Amy opened her eyes, Shadow was still there, looking stern.

"I am real," Shadow said, "Don't think for a moment that I am an illusion. Believe me this is as strange to me as it is to you. Luckily for me, my previous contractor instilled the culture and language of this world into my brain."

"Contractor?" Amy said, "What do you mean and who are you."

"I'll explain later," Shadow said, "For now I must get rid of this armor."

Shadow snapped his fingers and his armor and sword vanished in a puff of smoke. The next moment, Shadow was wearing a pair of jeans and a sweat shirt with a hood attached to it.

"I'll escort you home," Shadow said, "I will fill you in on who I am along the way."

Amy nodded and, still slightly confused, led Shadow out of the subway.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: An Average Day at School

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Amy and Shadow emerged from the subway. Shadow looked around and examined the strange structures and buildings. Even though he already knew about the world form what Rouge had instilled in his mind, he couldn't help but feel odd. After a few minutes of walking, Amy started pestering him with questions again.

"So where are you from?" Amy said, "That armor you wore hasn't been used for hundreds of years."

"I am not from this world," Shadow replied, "I am from an alternate timeline that exists beside yours. The main difference between our timelines is that magic was maintained in my world where as it was lost in this world."

"Magic doesn't exist," Amy said skeptically. "Doesn't it?" She finished uncertainly.

"It does," Shadow replied calmly, "I thought you might believe me after I appeared out of nowhere and disintegrated the bodies of three goons. If you want more proof than ask me to perform a spell and I will do it."

"No thanks," Amy said, "The last thing we need is to be seen doing something like what happened in the subway."

Shadow handed Amy a necklace with a large red jewel on it.

"Take this," Shadow said, "It will help you perform magic when the time comes."

Amy looked skeptically at the necklace before putting it on.

"So why are you here," Amy said, "What drove you from your world."

"A long time ago a wicked emperor rose to power in my world," Shadow said, "He sought to conquer my world and all other worlds by obtaining two artifacts. The first, is the Urn of Spirits. An artifact that will allow him to summon a nearly indestructible spirit army. The second artifact is the Ashes of Death. These ashes summon the general of the spirit army and allows the user of the ashes to control the army through the spirit general. Luckily for us, I and my late contractor were able to steal the Urn of Spirits from the emperor before he could summon the spirit army. However my contractor died in the ensuing fight and sent me here. My mission now is to train you in the arts of magic and, when the time come, for us to reenter my world and defeat the emperor for good."

"After seeing you perform magic in the subway back there I guess I don't have any other choice but to believe you," Amy said, "This kind of exciting now that I think of it. A warrior from another world has come here to teach me how to use magic so I can defeat an evil emperor."

"Don't get too excited," Shadow said, "It won't be long before the enemy starts sending his minions into this world to try and steal the urn from us."

This made Amy a little more serious. After a few seconds she asked another question.

"Why did you make me accept that 'contract' of yours back in the subway," Amy said, "Couldn't you have just helped be out of kindness."

"Unlike you I do not have complete free will," Shadow said, "I am bound by certain spells to only aid those who I have formed a contract with. Since you accepted the terms of my contract, I am now bound to serve and protect you even if it means sacrificing my own life."

"You'll do anything I say?" Amy asked surprised.

"As long as it is not evil, within my abilities, and within reason, yes," Shadow said, "Your wish is my command."

Amy thought for a moment before saying, "Use your magic to sprout wings and fly me home."

Shadow said an incantation and large black feathered wings sprouted from his back. He swooped forward, scooped Amy up in his arms and flew off in the direction of Amy's house. Thankfully it was now dark so no one looking up in the sky would see a large winged hedgehog flying through the sky.

Amy looked down at the ground below them, her eyes wide in joy like a kid in a candy store. After a few minutes, and several loops and dive bombs later, Shadow landed at Amy's house and set her down on the ground.

"THAT WAS SO FUN!" Amy squealed, "WE HAVE TO DO THAT AGAIN TOMORROW!"

Shadow nodded before speaking again.

"One last thing," Shadow said, "That gem around your neck has the capability of storing me inside it. It will be useful since I don't really have a place to stay and I'm not sure your family would approve of me staying in their house. All you have to do is double tap the gem while looking at me to pull me inside the gem. Double tap it again to summon me."

Amy nodded and double tapped the gem on her neck and Shadow vanished into the gem. Amy's mother definitely wouldn't approve of having Shadow in the house so this was a good solution.

"I can still talk to you though," Shadow said from within the jewel, "Don't worry about me talking at the wrong time though. I know when to be quiet."

"Thanks Shadow," Amy said before walking inside.

"Amy is that you?" Amy heard her mother call from inside the house, "Where have you been? I was starting to get worried about you."

"I got held up at school mom," Amy lied, "I'm going to bed though, I'm really tired."

"Alright see you in the morning," Her mother replied.

Amy walked up the main stairs to her house and into her bedroom. She was about to change into a pair of pajamas when she realized Shadow might be able to see out of the jewel. Amy took the jewel off of her neck and placed it under a cup so Shadow wouldn't be able to see out and changed into her pajamas. After changing into her pajamas, Amy did a little bit of homework and then crawled into bed.

"You know you didn't have to cover the jewel," Shadow said form within the gem, "I know when to not look at something."

"Oh, sorry about that," Amy said uncovering the jewel, "Anyway I'm going to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

"See you in the morning," Shadow replied.

Amy turned off her bedside lamp and went to sleep. For the first time in months, she slept peacefully.

***The next morning

Amy woke and gasped as she realized that she had forgotten to set her alarm clock. Amy jumped out of her bed, slipped, and hit her nose on the ground. After a brief period of messaging her bruised nose, Amy jumped back up, hurriedly put her clothes on, grabbed the necklace that Shadow was in and her backpack before sprinting out of her room.

"Mom, I'm late! I'll see you when I get home!" Amy shouted as she sprinted out of the house. In the background Amy heard her mother shout something that was probably a reminder to at least eat breakfast before she went. However Amy was in too much of a rush to hear it.

Amy sprinted down the street sidewalk to the bus stop. As she got to the bus stop however. She realized that she was very late. In fact classes would be starting in just a few minutes.

"Oh no I'm going to be late for class!" Amy panicked, "What am I going to do?"

Amy perked up as she got an idea. She double tapped the gem around her neck and watched as Shadow appeared beside her in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt.

"Shadow how do I use magic?" Amy asked, "You said you would teach me and I am about to be late for class."

"All you need is an incantation and to focus on what you want to accomplish," Shadow said, "Since you are low on time I would recommend stopping time. The incantation for stopping time is 'tempus halt'."

Amy focused all her might on stopping time before muttering "tempus halt." As soon as she did so, the world became completely silent and everything from the birds in the air to the cars on the street stopped moving.

As soon as she muttered the spell, Amy felt as though someone had placed a large weight on her body. She staggered a little bit but did not fall over. Shadow noticed this and smiled.

"Feels heavy doesn't it?" Shadow said, "Magic takes energy. The ability to cast a spell in my world is called mana. The more mana a person has, the more spells they can cast without getting tired. Since this is your first spell you probably feel a little tired. Don't worry though. As long as we get to school within a few minutes you'll be fine."

"Are you implying that I am in danger right now?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Not necessarily," Shadow replied, "But in a few minutes you will probably run out of mana from maintaining the spell. Once that happens the spell will shut off automatically. However it is never a good idea to completely drain your mana since it is linked closely to life energy. Drain yourself dry a few too many times and you will get hurt."

"If what you say is true than we should probably get to class instead of standing here while my energy is draining," Amy said. "Now summon those wings of yours so we can fly. That'll get us there the fastest."

Shadow muttered the incantation that summoned his wings before scooping up Amy in his arms and flying off toward the school. Amy stared down at the ground, eyes wide in wonder. Even though she had flown last night the second time around was still amazing. She could feel the wind rushing through her quills and smell the crisp air of the higher altitude. All the while buildings rushed below her. Thankfully time was stopped so no one would see them flying.

After a few minutes of high speed flying Shadow landed at the back entrance of the school before dissipating his wings.

"Alright, now that we're here you should cut off your spell," Shadow said, "In order to do that you don't need an incantation but must focus on resuming time."

Amy did so and things started moving again.

"You've got to teach me more spells after class," Amy said, "That was amazing!"

"I will," Shadow replied, "Speaking of class, I would advise keeping me inside the gem until I have a good layout of your school system. I may have been taught the culture of your world but I want to study it a little further so when I enroll as a student I don't say something or do something odd."

Amy nodded and double tapped the gem. Shadow was immediately sucked inside of it. Amy then went into the school and headed for her classroom. She got in just before the bell rang and took her seat.

Classes went along and the day progressed. Students took notes and things were normal. Amy had lunch her two best friends. They talked about the usual things high school students talked about. All the while no one realized that they were being studied by a black hedgehog from within Amy's necklace.

Eventually classes ended and Amy took the bus home. After getting home she used the excuse that she needed to do homework in order to get to her room. Once there, she released Shadow from the gem.

"That was an interesting day," Shadow said, "You're world is a lot more civilized than mine. Your friends seem nice."

"I'll introduce you to them when you enroll in school," Amy said, "Now teach me everything you know about magic."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," Shadow said, "You're going to need it."

Shadow sat down and began to give Amy the rundown on how to use and control magic. Meanwhile, across the street, a dark figure watched the two through their window from a roof top. The creature spoke to itself in a language no one on Mobius but Shadow would be able to understand. Roughly translated, it said the following: "So the gokuro found a new contractor. How interesting. Lord Nazo will want to hear this."

There was a flash of light and the creature was gone. Across the street Shadow noticed the flash of light and stopped.

"Shadow, something wrong?" Amy asked.

Shadow turned his head away from the window and back to Amy.

"Make sure you know what I have taught you," Shadow replied, "We may have trouble tomorrow."

**A/N I know the second part of the chapter seems kind of rushed but it is just a filler chapter. Other chapters will have a better rounded plot.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I usually don't curse in my fanfics but this is a high school fic so it might contain some. If you disapprove then tell me and I will try to limit or eliminate the cursing. Please notify me if there are any spelling or grammar errors.**

Chapter 3: The Vrog

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Amy awoke to a typing sound coming from the corner of her room. She opened her eyes and glanced at her clock. It was 6:30, far too early to be getting up. Amy glanced over in the corner of the room and saw Shadow typing and clicking on her computer.

"Um, Shadow," Amy said blinking sleep out of her eyes, "What are you doing up so early?"

"I'm signing up for your school," Shadow replied hitting the enter key and turning around, "I know enough about this world to know how to do it over the internet."

"Are you sure you're ready?" Amy asked, "You said yesterday that you wanted to have time to observe my world to solidify your knowledge of our culture."

"I'll be fine," Shadow said neutrally, "Besides, I need to be ready in case the enemy shows up looking for the urn."

"Are you expecting your so called enemy to show up today?" Amy asked a little worried.

"There is a very good chance of it," Shadow said, "We will have to be ready."

Amy nodded got up and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. Shadow meanwhile did some studying on the classes he would be entering. After they were completely ready for school the two of them went down stairs. Amy was about to put Shadow back in the gem around her neck so her mother wouldn't see him but Shadow stopped her.

"I've already introduced myself to your mother," Shadow said.

"You did WHAT!" Amy shouted at Shadow.

"Relax," Shadow replied sternly, "I explained the situation to her and she believed me."

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was!" Amy reprimanded, "My mom keeps a loaded shotgun in the kitchen in case of burglars. She could have blown you into bits!"

"It would take more than a few pellets of lead to kill me," Shadow said, "But that is beside the point. She believes my story alright."

Amy was still stunned. Her mother was vicious when it came to protecting her home and her daughter. She was surprised that Shadow was still alive.

"We should eat breakfast," Shadow said, snapping Amy out of her thoughts, "Unless you want to be late for school again."

Amy shrugged and followed Shadow down the stairs and into the kitchen. There were some hot pancakes sitting on the table. Amy's mother was there sipping on some coffee and reading a newspaper. She ushered Amy and Shadow to sit down and eat.

"So mom," Amy asked taking a bite of her pancakes, "What made you believe Shadow's story?"

"When your friend came down from upstairs and introduced himself to me I thought he was a joke at first," Amy's mother replied, "However, when I told him that what he said was unlikely he snapped his fingers and showed me that Samurai armor of his. I knew he was speaking the truth after that."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief. If Shadow hadn't used his magic to show her mother his armor, he probably would have gotten shot.

Amy and Shadow finished breakfast and went out to the bus stop. The bus came and they went to school. After a few hours of class, they took a break for lunch. Amy sat down with her two best friends Cream and Sally. Shadow joined them. Amy introduced Shadow to Cream and Sally, both of whom greeted him warmly.

"So how are you liking classes here Shadow," Cream asked kindly. (A/N please go easy on me if I make Cream act out of character. I don't know her personality all that well.)

"They're interesting," Shadow said, "Personally I disagree with the teachers on some points but that's the rebellious side of me speaking."

"You have a rebellious side?" Sally asked amused.

"More than you know," Shadow said taking a bite of the cafeteria food, "I can't say that this cafeteria food is that good."

"You get used to it," Sally said, "So where are you from Shadow?"

Shadow quickly glanced at Amy who nodded, signaling him to go ahead with the story they had made up about his past.

"I was born in Westopolis," Shadow replied, "I moved to Station Square a few weeks ago and just recently got settled in."

"I hear the teachers in Westopolis are pretty harsh," Cream said.

Shadow was about to reply when a green hedgehog and a brown fox walked up to his and Amy's table.

"Well looks like the losers are trying to incorporate another member to their group," Scourge said.

"You finally got a boyfriend Amy," The brown vixen sneered, "He must be a real loser if he decided to hang out with you."

"Beat it Fiona," Amy said, "Shadow is not my boyfriend and you should talk considering you hang out with the school's soon-to-be dropout."

"Don't you dare insult my boyfriend," Fiona snarled, "I doubted Shadow would go out with a hyper active brat like you anyway. You stay up so much at night thinking about what you can't get that it's no wonder you fall asleep in class."

"Yeah," Scourge added, "Maybe your father didn't actually die but went somewhere else because he couldn't stand you as a daughter."

This last remark hit a particularly large nerve. Tears began to come to Amy's eyes at the mention of her dead father.

"Know look what you did," Sally said harshly, "You made Amy cry."

"The little bitch can get over it," Fiona sneered, "It's not like her father cared about her anyway."

Sally began to rise out of her chair to punch Fiona but Amy stopped her.

"Don't," Amy said trying to hold back tears, "Their just trying to start a fight. I can ignore them. So should you."

"Smart move little girl," Fiona said, "Don't mess with someone who is superior than you."

After that Fiona and Scourge walked away. When they did, Shadow finally spoke up.

"Don't worry about them," Shadow said comfortingly, "They only tease you because they are hollow inside. No one will miss them when they die."

"Thanks Shadow," Amy said sniffing away tears.

"Well said," Sally commented approvingly. Cream smiled, showing that she approved of Shadow's words as well.

The four started to go back to class when Shadow stopped dead in his tracks.

"Something wrong?" Amy asked.

"They're here," Shadow said coldly.

Before Amy could reply a large black swirling portal opened in the middle of the hall and a large creature came out of it. The thing looked like something out of a monster movie. It had the torso and head of a human, the lower body of a worm, and the clawed arms of a raptor or similar animal. Its entire body was covered in a network of stitches that made the beast seem as if it were sown together. The most prominent stitches were where the mismatched body parts met. The head of the had long patched mops of greasy hair that almost looked like tentacles. Its yellow eyes were sunken in its skull and part of the skin on its face was missing; revealing gnarled pointed teeth in its mouth.

Nearly everyone went running and screaming away from the creature. Amy, Shadow, Cream, and Sally stood still in front of it.

"Cream, Sally, get out of here!" Amy yelled, "Shadow and I will handle this."

"We can't just leave you to fight this thing!" Sally replied with concern, "You'll be clobbered!"

"Trust me!" Amy shouted, "You won't be able to do anything. Only Shadow knows how to defeat it."

Sally and Cream nodded and sprinted away from the creature while Shadow snapped his fingers and summoned his armor. A black echidna appeared near the creature and spoke to Shadow.

"Lord Nazo requests that you return the Urn of Spirits to him Gokuro," The echidna said, "If you do so you and your contractor might be spared."

"Fat chance Koutestsu" Shadow snarled, "I know what Nazo plans to do with the Urn of Spirits and as long as I am alive it will not happen. And don't call me a Gokuro. I have become more than what I once was."

"There is no denying what you are," Koutetsu replied, "You are and always will be a Gokuro, no matter what you discover or think. Now return the Urn of Spirits or I will set my Vrog on you."

"Bring it! I'll show you that I am more than a mere creation." Shadow roared. The calmly to Amy, "Prepare the spells I taught you."

"Alright but you need to fill me in on what you were talking about when this is done," Amy said, "ARCANE BOW."

A bow or violet energy materialized in Amy's hand with a thin thread of energy for the bowstring attached to it.

Koutetsu sighed and signaled his creature, apparently called a Vrog, to attack.

The creature roared and lunged forward, swinging its clawed hands at Shadow. Shadow drew his sword and blocked it before delivering a powerful kick that sent the massive beast backwards a few paces.

"Aim for the stitches," Shadow said, "Those are its weak points."

Amy nodded and pulled back the string on the energy bow. A large arrow of violet energy materialized at the center of the bow. Amy took aim and fired at the vrog. The arrow missed the stitches of the shoulder by a few inches and left a large burned hole below the vrog's neck.

The vrog roared in pain and lunged at Amy but Shadow got in the way and slashed at the stitched connecting the worm portion of the body to the creatures torso. Shadow's sword sliced through half of the stitches leaving too much strain on the others. When the vrog tried to move, it only ended up ripping off the other stitches from too much strain.

The worm portion of the vrog fell to the ground in a pool of black blood. Unfortunately the job was not finished as became apparent when the vrog started using its arms to pull itself toward Shadow. Amy by now had had more than enough time to conjure another arrow and fired it the stitches on the vrog's neck. The arrow punched a clean hole through the vrog's neck and cut its spine, leaving it paralyzed on the ground. However the vrog continued to move its head. It only stopped moving when Shadow stabbed it in the head and destroyed its brain.

Shadow stepped back and examined the work that he and Amy had accomplished. He then looked at Koutetsu and spoke.

"That was pathetic," Shadow sneered, "Did you really think a common vrog could hope to defeat us."

"What can I say," Koutetsu replied calmly, "I did not know your strength and decided to start off small."

"Small won't cut it if you ever hope to defeat us," Amy said triumphantly.

"Perhaps," Koutetsu said while reopening his portal, "You have one this round for now but we will meet again, and when we do I will be carrying reaver or litch vrog with me instead of common vrog."

Before Shadow could stop him, Koutetsu jumped back into his portal and vanished. Once he did so students began to come out of hiding and started to approach Amy and the armor clad Shadow.

"Um Shadow," Amy said with slight worry before dissipating her arcane bow, "Please tell me you have a spell to make it so no one will remember this."

"I have a memory replacement spell which can make them remember something else," Shadow replied in a neutral, "I know what you're thinking. Your world is not used to magic activity like this. Don't worry. I'll disintegrate the body of the vrog and use my magic to make everyone here remember this as a terrorist attack."

"That'll work," Amy sighed in relief.

Shadow walked up to the remains of the vrog and disintegrated it. After doing so, he snapped his fingers to put away his armor and said a spell that made everyone in the vicinity remember the events differently. As proof that it worked, Sally and Cream came rushing up to Amy, checking to make sure that the 'terrorists' had not hurt her or Shadow. After assuring them that they were fine, Amy and Shadow, along with everyone else, were sent home.

"That was good thinking," Amy said as She and Shadow walked home, "They won't find any bodies but with everyone remembering the event as a terrorist attack the police will have no choice but to believe them."

"I agree" Shadow replied, "The last thing we need are the police questioning us about how we were fighting a giant undead monster."

"That reminds me," Amy said, "You said you'd fill me in on any questions I have."

"I did," Shadow replied, "Are you curious about the vrog?"

"That and the fact that Koutetsu called you a gokuro," Amy said confused, "What is a gokuro?"

"A gokuro is an artificial human or anthro created from pure magic," Shadow said, "I am a gokuro. We were originally created to serve as guardians of the wealthy and royal in my world but over time we started forming protective contracts with commoners as well."

"And why did Koutetsu make being a gokuro sound degrading," Amy asked.

"Gokuros are often treated like scum and thought to be on a lower scale than those who are born naturally," Shadow said, "We are often picked on for being not as good as those who are born normally."

"You seem like a normal anthro to me," Amy said concerned, "Whether you were born naturally or created your still a person."

Shadow stopped dead in his tracks and looked at Amy as though he had been touched by what she had said. What Amy did not realize was that she had said the exact same thing Rouge had said to Shadow so long ago. Shadow quickly regained his composure as he realized Amy was becoming uncomfortable with him staring at her.

"That's quite a compliment," Shadow said, "You could get picked on or beaten up in my world for saying such things."

"That's harsh," Amy said, "So what are the vrog?"

"The vrog are a class of undead creatures that are made from sewing dead body parts together and then reanimating them with magic," Shadow said, "They feed on magic energy and can evolve into higher forms of vrog when they consume enough magic energy. Common vrog are like the one we face today and need a trainer like Koutetsu to take care of them. When they have consumed enough energy, they grow into the reaver stage where they can take care of themselves and hunt on their own for people who contain magic energy. If they consume enough, they will grow into the litch stage where their bodies become coated in scales made of magic energy and become very hard to kill."

"I hope we don't face any of the tougher ones soon," Amy said nervously, "They sound really nasty."

"Don't worry," Shadow said, "As long as I live and you don't use me for evil I will protect you from the vrog and anything else that tries to hurt you."

This surprised Amy, there was a tenderness in Shadow's voice that she had never heard before. Could it be that he cared about her.

Amy was interrupted from her thoughts when she realized that she was staring at Shadow and looked away. Luckily Shadow did not react to her staring at him. Or so Amy thought.

"_Maybe Rouge was right about her,"_ Shadow thought to himself, _"We could fall in love. It is possible. Only time will tell."_

Shadow and Amy reached their house and entered. Amy's mother had already prepared dinner for them.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Life is a Litch

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the hedgehog

Three days had passed since Koutetsu attacked at the Station Square High school. Since then, Shadow had insisted on training Amy to better use her magic. The two were currently at a portion of the Station Square park where no one would see them. Shadow and Amy were both wearing t-shirts and gym shorts instead of their regular attire.

"ARCANE ARROW," Amy shouted holding up her energy bow.

The Arrow shot from her bow but fizzled out before it hit the tree she was aiming at.

"Focus Amy," Shadow said, "Drain yourself of all thought except for making that arrow fly."

"I'm trying!" Amy retorted, "It's harder to do when we're not in a life threatening situation. Besides I've already hit that tree with ten arrows. Any enemy will be long dead after ten arrows."

"That is true," Shadow said, "But what if there is more than one enemy. You need to be able to summon more than ten arrows before your mana is depleted. The harder you focus on getting that arrow to fly, the less mana that is wasted. Now do it again."

Amy held up the energy bow and focused. She concentrated her entire mind on making the arrow fly.

"Arcane Arrow!" Amy shouted.

The arrow shot from her bow and blew a neat hole in the tree. The tree, already having ten holes in it, could not hold itself up and fell backwards with a large thud.

"Very good," Shadow said, "Your mana is probably close to depletion by now. Let's take a break."

Shadow and Amy walked out of the woods and over to a set of vending machines. Shadow bought two energy drinks and handed one to Amy.

"Drink this," Shadow offered, "It will help regenerate your mana."

Amy took the energy drink and started to drink. As she drank, Amy began to feel her fatigue fading away.

"Shadow why give me an energy drink," Amy asked, "Don't you have mana rejuvenation potions or something similar in your world."

"We do," Shadow replied matter of factly, "Unfortunately all of the ingredients for them do not grow in this world. Don't worry though. Caffeine and other energy supplements can help restore mana almost as good as a mana potion."

The two drank in silence until Shadow stopped.

"Do you sense something Shadow," Amy asked.

"Yeah I do," Shadow said standing up and looking toward the forest they were training in. "It's very faint but I can detect the presence of Vrog."

"If Vrog are nearby doesn't that mean Koutetsu could be nearby as well," Amy asked.

"It's possible," Shadow replied throwing his empty energy drink canister into a recycling bin. "What I don't get is if they are here, why haven't they attacked?"

"Should we check it out," Amy asked, "Or would it be safer to wait for them to come to us?"

"If we wait then they might attack when we are vulnerable," Shadow said, "We will go to them but we will do so very slowly and cautiously."

Amy finished her drink and threw the can in the recycling bin before following Shadow into the woods. When they were out of sight from everybody else, Shadow summoned his armor and sword. Amy summoned her energy bow. The two crept slowly through the woods. Shadow took the lead and Amy followed close behind. The two eventually came to a clearing where Shadow stopped.

"That's funny," Shadow said confused, "I can't sense the Vrog anymore."

Before Amy or Shadow could say anything else. A group of armored swordsmen stepped out of the other side of the clearing.

"We have been instructed to take the Urn of Spirits from you," The lead soldier said, "Hand it over and we will spare your lives."

"Mercenaries huh," Shadow sneered, "Do you really think you have what it takes to bring me down."

"If we didn't we wouldn't be here," the lead mercenary replied, "ATTACK!"

The group of mercenaries charged. Shadow drew his sword and took down five of the mercenaries with one stroke. Amy took down the remaining three with well placed Arcane arrows.

"Is this a joke?" Shadow said, "Koutetsu if you are behind this then show yourself!"

There was no reply. Instead a large roar could be heard throughout the forest. Seconds later, two large Vrog came into the clearing. One was a combination of mismatched lizard parts. The other resembled a troll of some sort from medieval tales and had large distorted human features.

"Remember to aim for the stitches," Shadow said.

Amy nodded before raising her bow and aiming at the lizard Vrog. Amy sent an arcane arrow flying at the Vrog. However before it even hit the Vrog it was stopped and disintegrated by some sort of invisible barrier.

"Its shielded," Shadow said, "You'll need a more powerful spell to break through. Use the incantation 'Magic Missile.' Be careful though. It takes a lot of mana."

Amy nodded and was about to fire when the two Vrog charged. Shadow stood in between Amy and the Vrog.

"I call upon the name of my sword," Shadow shouted, "'Mercy' give me your strength!"

Shadow's sword glowed and began to grow in size. The Sword was soon two feet longer and six inches wider. As the Vrog neared, Shadow charged and cleaved the legs off of both Vrog. Amy then finished both of them off with magic missiles to their heads.

Amy nearly collapsed from depleting her mana but Shadow was there to support her.

"I really hope there aren't any more of those things," Amy panted as she leaned on Shadow's shoulder, "I'm exhausted."

"Oh don't worry," A voice said, "There is plenty more where that came from."

"Koutetsu!" Shadow shouted, "Show yourself!"

The black echidna stepped out from the trees into the clearing. He had a nasty smirk on his face.

"Well look at you two," Koutetsu cooed, "The contractor is exhausted and the gokuro now has to protect her. Both of you are quite vulnerable to attack."

"Don't count us out yet," Shadow said, "I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."

"That you may," Koutetsu said, "But do you have enough energy to stand up against a Litch."

"You're a fool if you got a Litch to work for you," Shadow said.

"I beg to differ," Koutsu said, "Kanji!, come forth and destroy them."

A large creature came forth from the trees and made itself visible to Shadow and Amy. The creature had the upper body of a crocodile, the head of a wolf and the body of a centipede. The creature, obviously named Kanji, charged at Shadow and Amy. Shadow jumped up and slashed at the creature but only made it move backwards a little bit. When Kanji charged again Amy tried to raise her energy bot but it dissolved in her arms due to low mana. Shadow swung at the Kanji's stitches but missed and only ended up losing his sword when Kanji knocked it out of his hand. Shadow stepped backwards next to Amy and waited for Koutetsu's next move.

"You are unarmed," Koutetsu said, "Hand over the Urn of Spirits and I will let you live."

"That's it!" Shadow said.

Before Koutetsu could say anything else, Shadow grabbed the Urn from the pocket in his armor and opened it.

"I summon you, Spirit Soldiers!" Shadow shouted.

A glowing blue vapor oozed out of the Urn and pooled on the ground at Shadow's feet. Seconds later, the vapor began to grow and transform. After five seconds, the vapor formed into three large skeletal soldiers clad in Samurai armor like that of Shadow. The soldiers turned to face Shadow and spoke.

"Where is our general?" the soldiers chanted in unison.

Shadow said a single word so quietly that Amy could not hear it. The word made the skeleton soldiers snap to attention.

"Kill Koutestsu and the Litch," Shadow commanded.

The spirit soldiers turned around drew their swords and charged at Koutetsu. The Litch got in the way in an attempt to protect its master but was disintegrated when the spirit soldiers slashed it with their swords. Koutetsu was unable to even turn around to flee before the three spirit soldiers cut him down and turned him to ash with their swords. Their task completed, the spirit soldiers returned to Shadow and asked his again, "Where is our general?"

Shadow said nothing this time but got into a fighting stance. The soldiers raised their swords and swing them down on Shadow. Shadow tried to block them with his sword, Mercy, but his sword shattered. The spirit soldiers' swords continued to past Shadow's sword and slashed him across the chest. His armor shattered and the swords impaled his chest. Shadow fell to the ground as Amy screamed out in terror. The spirit soldiers however, did not finish Shadow off but turned back into mist and returned to the Urn. Shadow barely had enough energy to snap his fingers and make his armor, broken sword, and the Urn vanish. Once he did this, Shadow close his eyes and fell unconscious.

Amy began to sob at what had happened. She reached for her cell phone and was about to dial 911 when a hand reached up and stopped her.

"Don't do that," Shadow said, "It will only draw attention to us."

"But, But,…." Amy began to say hysterically.

"I'm a Gokuro," Shadow said, "I can survive more than a few cuts and scrapes."

"Are you sure?" Amy said worried, "You look awful."

"I'll be okay," Shadow said, "Since I am a Gokuro I can survive wounds to my major organs. The only thing that can really kill me is chopping off my head."

"How did you summon the spirit soldiers," Amy asked, "I thought you needed the Ashes of Death to control them."

"The Spirit General controls his soldiers with three magic words," Shadow said, "The first gives him minor control over his soldiers, the second gives him moderate control over his soldiers, the third gives him total control over his soldiers. I happen to know the first word."

"So the soldiers attacked you because you didn't know the second or third word?" Amy asked.

Shadow nodded and started to get up.

"My wounds are starting to heal," Shadow said, "I'm more worried about my sword though. We'll have to visit the underworld to get it repaired."

"Did you just say 'the underworld'," Amy said aghast.

"Yes I did," Shadow replied, "My sword was made by a demon. Don't worry though, the underworld is not the same as the Hell that many people think of it as. I have a means to keep us safe."

"I trust you," Amy said helping Shadow up, "That's enough training for today I think. We should go home and rest."

"I couldn't agree with you more," Shadow said.

The two left the forest. They were unaware that they had been spied on the whole time. Scourge and Fiona had been sitting in darkness of the trees, and they had videotaped the entire fight.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Enemies Fought, Feelings Shared.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog.

Shadow, Amy, and Amy's mother were eating breakfast the day after Shadow's sword broke. There was a general silence around the table. Shadow had explained to Amy's mother that they had to travel to the underworld in order to get his sword repaired. Amy's mother was not fond of the idea at all.

"I still don't understand why you can't fix your sword on Mobius," Amy's mother said, "I would really rather that my daughter did not travel into Hell where something horrible could happen too her."

"I already told you the person who forged my sword is dead," Shadow said, "Therefore we have no choice but to go to the underworld where he now resides and have him repair it. If I leave Amy here and go by myself she will be in danger of my enemies soldiers. Don't worry your daughter will be safe with me. We will be traveling to a portion of the underworld where there is little danger."

"It's still the underworld," Amy's mother said, "How will my daughter be safe amongst the damned."

"I don't know what religion you are but the underworld is not like the Hell of most religions." Shadow said, "My underworld contains two sections. An upper section known as the Mantle and a lower section known as the Core. The Mantle, or upper section, is a peaceful place where the virtuous wait until the end times. The Core, or lower section, is a place of torture for the wicked. At the end times, the Creator will take the virtuous out of the underworld to live with him in his kingdom and leave the wicked in the Core to suffer. We will be going to the Mantle not the Core."

"Normally I wouldn't believe your mythology but your use of magic backs up your words," Amy's mother said, "How long do you plan to be down there."

"No more than a few days," Shadow said, "Once my sword is repaired we will return to this world to resume Amy's training."

"Are you okay with going to this place Amy," Amy's mother asked.

Amy who hadn't spoken for a while thought carefully before replying.

"Believe me Mom, I'm not fond of visiting the underworld either," Amy said, "But if it means getting Shadow's sword repaired and helping both of our worlds than I'm willing to do it."

As soon as Amy finished what she was saying the doorbell rang. Amy's mother went to the door and opened it. Standing there were two humans in suits with government style earpieces in their ears. One of the humans had a red tie while the other had a blue tie.

"Mrs. Rose," the man with the blue tie said, "Are your daughter and an individual named Shadow home."

"Yes," Amy's mother replied, "Is there a problem."

"We need to ask them some questions," The man in the red tie said.

"May I ask who you are," Amy's mother said.

"That information is classified," The man in the blue tie replied.

"Then I'm afraid I can't you in," Amy's mother said, "I don't allow strangers in my house."

The man with the blue tie pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Amy's mother.

"We aren't asking your permission ma'am," the man in the blue tie said.

What happened next could have easily been avoided. However, years of paranoia built up in Amy's mother and she began to reach for her shot gun. The man with the blue tie was faster however. He quickly pulled out his pistol and shot Amy's mother in the head.

Shadow and Amy rushed into the room to see what the noise was and came to a dead stop when they saw Amy's mother dead on the ground. Amy screamed so loud that a nearby window cracked. The man with the red tie pulled out his gun as well and pointed it at Amy. Shadow stepped in front of Amy protectively.

"What is the meaning of this!" Shadow shouted, "You have just killed an innocent woman in cold blood!"

"She was reaching for her weapon," The man with the blue tie said, "Now both of you will come with us. We have reason to believe that you have supernatural abilities."

"And if we refuse," Shadow said, "Will you kill us like you did her?"

"Yes," The man with the blue tie said, "Come with us or die."

As quick as a flash, Shadow pulled out a knife and made a small cut on his hand.

"Blood Magic!" Shadow shouted, "Blood Bullets!"

The blood coming out of Shadow's hand formed into two small bullets. The two zipped forward hitting the man with the blue tie in the head and hitting the man with the red tie in the arm in which his gun was held.

As the man in the blue tie crumpled to the ground. Shadow lunged forward and pinned the man in the red tie against the wall.

"WHO TOLD YOU WE CAN DO MAGIC!" Shadow roared.

"Scourge and Fiona videotaped you two fighting several creatures in the forest," the man said, "I was sent here to get you two and bring you to headquarters. If you let me live I'll call in that you escaped. That will buy you enough time to run."

Shadow nodded and set the man down. He then ran over to Amy who was crouching over her dead mother.

"Come on Amy we have to leave," Shadow said, "We can mourn for her later."

Amy nodded reluctantly and followed Shadow out of the door. The man in the red tie pressed a button on his belt that activated the tracking device he had planted on Shadow. He then spoke into a radio on his shoulder.

"Man down," He said, "Subjects have escaped but one has a tracking device on him. Follow the signal and you will find them."

The man in the red tie then collapsed form loss of blood.

Shadow and Amy raced down the street to get away from the two government agents.

"How much further do we need to go," Amy asked, "Can't we just open a portal here."

"Portals to the underworld tend to be unstable," Shadow said, "When the portal closes after we pass through it, it will explode. Because of this we need to get somewhere where it won't hurt anyone. I was thinking the area in the park where we defeated Koutetsu."

"And what about the video that Scourge and Fiona taped of us," Amy said, "Will we be able to make everyone who saw it forget about it."

"No, Too many people know who we are now." Shadow said, "Our secret is out now. "We will have to go to the underworld to get my sword fixed and then travel to my world."

"_Rouge might be wrong again_," Shadow thought to himself, "_Unless we fall in love in the underworld her prophecy will be incorrect_."

A black car drove up beside Amy and Shadow and the windows opened to reveal armed government agents inside.

"Come quietly or we will use lethal force," one of the agents said drawing his pistol.

"Tempus Halt," Amy shouted before the government agent could fire and time slowed to a halt.

"We need to hurry," Amy said, "My mana will be drained in a few minutes."

Shadow nodded and the two kept on running after a few minutes Amy canceled the time spell so her mana would not dry up completely. The two kept running and it was only a few minutes before the government vehicle caught up with them. The agents began to shoot at Shadow and Amy through their open windows.

Amy turned around to fire an arcane arrow at the agents car but was unable to before she was shot in the leg.

"AMY!" Shadow shouted as Amy fell to the ground clutching her leg in pain. The agents swarmed out of the car and began to tackle Shadow. Shadow managed to disintegrate a few but was already exhausted and had little mana to spare. The agents bound Shadow and Amy in handcuffs before taking them into their car.

"Get a medic ready at base," the lead agent shouted, "I want the girl to live so we can interrogate her."

Shadow tried to squirm free but an agent came forward and pounded him in the head with the butt of his pistol, knocking him unconscious.

Shadow woke up to find himself in a restraint strapped chair. He tried to break free but was not strong enough to break the restraints. He tried to summon his magic but his mana had still not regenerated yet. Shadow looked around the room and saw Amy in a similar chair next to him. There were bandages on her leg.

"At least they stopped her from bleeding out," Shadow said to himself in a whisper so low that no one would be able to hear him, "I don't know what I would have done if I had lost her."

Shadow realized what he had said and was surprised at his own words.

"_I may as well stop denying it_," Shadow thought to himself, "_I am falling in love with her. She treats me as though I am a normal person much in the same way Rouge did. But I do not love her because she treats me the way my former contractor did. I love her for who she is. How am I supposed to tell her though. If Rouge's prophecy was correct than she won't reject me._"

Amy began to stir.

"Amy are you arlight," Shadow asked.

"I'm fine," Amy replied, "Where are we?"

Shadow looked around the room and saw nothing but white walls and a mirror.

"I'm guessing this is their interrogation room," Shadow said.

Amy gulped in fear and was about to respond when a few agents entered the room.

"Let us go or you will regret it!" Shadow snarled.

"Answer our questions and we might," one of the agents said coldly, "Now how does your magic work."

"And if I don't answer," Shadow replied harshly.

"Then we will start to torture your friend," The agent smirked.

"You won't lay a hand on her," Shadow roared, "She is precious to me!"

The agent pulled out a small handheld electrocution device, also known as a tazer, and began to walk toward Amy.

What happened next, happened very fast. Shadow felt some sort of strength forming in himself and was able to rip off the restraints. As soon as he was free it felt as though his mana was overflowing and he shot down all of the agents with a machine gun burst of arcane energy bolts. It after that he was certain that Amy was safe that all of the power he felt melted away and he nearly collapsed from exhaustion.

"Shadow," Amy asked stunned, "How did you do that."

"I don't know," Shadow said, "You were in danger and I couldn't let something bad happen to you."

"You really care about me don't you Shadow," Amy said.

"Amy, I don't know how males express their feelings in this world so I am going to be honest with you," Shadow said, "Amy, I'm in love with you."

"I feel the same way," Amy said gently, "You are the only boy who has never treated me like trash. What is more. I know that your heart aches from the loss of a friend. Since I met you, it was my dream to help heal that wound."

Shadow was shocked to say the least. He had been half expecting Amy to shoot him down but instead she felt the same way. Shadow untied the straps to Amy's chair and helped her walk to the center of the room.

"We'll get that healed in the underworld," Shadow said, "I'm going to open the portal."

Amy nodded and Shadow opened a swirling purple vortex and stepped through. When the portal collapsed, it exploded and destroyed the agents' headquarters. The only people who died were those who had a lust for power.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I apologize for any grammar errors or misplaced words. By brother beta reads my chapters and he is not very good at it. Also if this chapter seems brief, that is because it is divided into two parts. The second part is longer than the first and will be posted on Thursday or Friday.**

Chapter 6: One Hell of a Trip part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Shadow and Amy appeared on a grassy meadow. Up above was what appeared to be a sky full of clouds and sunshine. There was a gentle breeze rustling the two hedgehogs' quills. The ground had a slight slant to it. If one looked it the direction that the slant was going, they would see a large iron wall off in the distance behind of which dark blackish red clouds loomed.

"So this is the Underworld," Amy said looking around, "It's a bit more pleasant than I imagined."

"That's because we are in the Mantle," Shadow said, "Like I said before, this is where good people go."

"How long can we stay here," Amy said, "I feel like I could live here."

"We can only stay here for twenty four hours before our life force drains away," Shadow said, "If that happens we will be trapped here until judgment day. Besides, it would be selfish to stay here. There are many wicked things in both of our worlds that need to be destroyed."

"I suppose so," Amy pouted, "It's so nice here though. Any chance I will see my dad?"

"The mantle is pretty big so I doubt you will find him," Shadow said "For now however, we need to find the person who made my sword."

Amy followed Shadow and the two walked across the prairie. Eventually they came to what looked like a small village with thatch huts and wooden frames. Shadow and Amy walked through the village. Most of the village seemed uninhabited but Amy spotted an occasional animaloid or human walking around. Every one she say had a euphoric expression on their face.

"Shadow why are there so few people here and why do the ones that do appear look so happy," Amy asked.

"Since there is no need for food or water here most people stay in their homes and enjoy the feeling that this place gives," Shadow replied, "You and I don't feel it because we are visitors but permanent residents here experience a constant euphoria as a reward for living good lives. However everyone here needs to be ready at a moment's notice if demons from the core attack."

"Why would demons attack people who are already saved," Amy said concerned, "Surely you're not telling me a soul can die here."

"No," Shadow muttered shaking his head, "If a person dies while in the mantle they simply fall asleep until the end times. The same is true for the core. The demons attack to try to cause suffering to those who are saved. It does them little good since at the end times the creator will lock the core shut so they can't get out and take the saved to his kingdom in heaven."

Amy was silent for a moment as she soaked up the mythology.

"And what happens if we die here?" Amy asked.

"If we die here we will be judged like everyone else who loses their mortal life," Shadow replied, "We will then be sent to either this place or the core depending on our deeds."

Amy was silent for the rest of the walk until finally they reached a hut in which a banging sound could be heard. Inside the hut Amy said a six foot brown bulldog wearing a blacksmith's apron hammering away at an unfinished sword on an anvil. He stopped when he saw Shadow and Amy approaching.

"Are you dead?" The bulldog said in a deep masculine voice, "Don't tell me they got the Urn."

"Relax Grunt," Shadow said, "I broke my sword in a fight an need you to fix it. The Urn is safe with us."

"You have a tendency to break your sword," Grunt muttered in a slightly irritated tone, "This is the third time you have come to me to have it repaired."

"For the first two times you were alive," Shadow said, "You had to get yourself executed by Nazo because you refused to make him a sword."

"That was a long time ago," Grunt retorted, "Besides I would rather die a thousand deaths before I served that cretin."

"Who's Nazo?" Amy asked.

Grunt burst out laughing at Amy's question.

"Who's Nazo?" Grunted roared with laughter, "Only a fool would ask that question."

Amy frowned and crossed her arms before glaring at Grunt.

Grunt soon realized she was serious.

"Shadow why on earth didn't you tell her," Grunt reprimanded, "Nazo is only the enemy who everybody on our world is fighting. He is evil beyond all recognition and wishes to dominate the multiverse under his rule."

"I've told her about him," Shadow said, "I just referred to him as 'the enemy' or 'the emperor'."

"Suit yourself," Grunt said, "Now, you wanted me to repair your sword."

Shadow, having already summoned his armor, handed Grunt his shattered sword. Grunt sighed as he saw the damage and began to pump the billows in his shop to heat up the fire. Once the fire was hot enough Grunt heated up the pieces of the sword.

Amy, who didn't have a big interest in sword making, soon walked out of the hut out of boredom only to see a large group of bat winged demons flying toward the village from the wall that separated the core from the mantle. Amy sprinted back inside the shop.

"We've got demons coming," Amy said summoning her arcane bow. Shadow grabbed a spare sword off of a rack on the wall.

Amy and Shadow ran out of the hut and prepared to fight.

"They must sense the urn," Shadow said, "No doubt they want it for their own evil purposes. We need to hold them off until Grunt is done repairing my sword."

As the demons started to land Shadow started slashing at them with his sword. Several large red devils tried to surround him but Amy shot them down with arcane arrows. The demons exploded into red dust when they were killed.

Shadow and Amy continued to fight until a particularly large armored demon appeared. Shadow aimed for a weak point in the armor and his borrowed sword shattered on the armor. Amy tried to hit the demon with a large arcane arrow but the arrow barely made a scratch on the demon.

Shadow walked up to Amy and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Amy I am about to transfer all of my mana into you," Shadow said, "When I do, hit that demon with all of your mana at once."

Amy nodded and Shadow transferred all of his mana into Amy. Amy summoned all of her power and shot a massive arcane arrow at the demon decapitating it. However the shockwave that sent the arrow also knocked Amy and Shadow unconscious and sent the Urn which was in Shadow's armor flying into the midst of the remaining demons. The demons picked up the urn and flew back toward the wall. Although Shadow and Amy could not see it. There was a black haired, bat winged human woman waiting at the wall for the demons.

"Lady Lucifera," The lead demon said, "We have retrieved the Urn as you requested."

"Very well done," Lucifera replied, "My son Nazo will be happy to know that this will be returned to him soon."

*** one hour later

Shadow and Amy awoke to find themselves on beds in Grunt's hut. The bulldog in question could be seen putting away some bandages that he had used to patch up Amy and Shadow.

"I'm glad you're awake," Grunt said, "You have work you need to do."

Shadow felt his armor and jumped up when he realized the Urn was gone.

"WHERE'S THE URN!" Shadow shouted, "DON'T TELL ME THE DEMON'S GOT IT!"

"Unfortunately they did," Grunt sighed, "I have repaired your sword. Now you two will have to go into the core to retrieve it."

"We barely survived those demons," Amy moaned, "What makes you think we will be able to survive them in the core."

"You will be able to survive because I have this," Grunt said handing Shadow a metal shield with a ten pointed star on it, the symbol of the creator. "As long as you have that shield, You will be immune to demon attacks. Be warned though, the shield costs mana to use. That is why I didn't give it to you earlier."

Shadow was about to make a comment about how he didn't care about the mana cost and that Grunt still should have given it to him earlier but Grunt cut him off.

"Take your sword and go," Grunt said handing Shadow his sword. You have less than twenty three hours before the lord of the underworld opens a portal to the world in which Nazo resides. You have until then to get the Urn back or all hope will be lost for every world that exists."

Shadow thanked Grunt for his services and then bolted out the door with Amy and began sprinting toward the wall.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: One Hell of a Trip part 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

Shadow and Amy sprinted toward the ominous wall that separated the Core from the Mantle. The closer they got to the wall the more and more the temperature seamed to rise. By the time they were at the wall it felt like it was ninety degrees Fahrenheit.

Shadow looked up and down the visible portion of the wall and could not see a gate or opening of any kind.

"Looks like we're going to have to fly over it," Amy stated.

Shadow did not respond but muttered an incantation and waited as large feathered wings sprouted from his back. Amy climbed onto his back piggyback style and Shadow launched himself up in the air. The two climbed higher and higher into the air until finally they reached the top of the wall. They were immediately greeted by a group of flying demons who began to shoot arrows at them. Shadow drew upon the power of the shield and sent a massive shockwave of holy energy that disintegrated the demons on contact.

"Use it sparingly Shadow," Amy said over the howl wind from flying, "The last thing we need is for you to run out of mana and go crashing into the ground."

"I'll keep that in mind," Shadow replied tersely as he swooped down the other side of the wall and flew over a large trench. Inside the trench, a large group of humans and animals were chasing a floating flag across the trench.

"What am I looking at?" Amy asked.

"The first circle of hell," Shadow replied, "This one is for those who were neither good nor bad nor cared about either but simply followed whatever was popular at the time. Hence, they chase a flag endlessly just as they pursued whatever was popular in real life."

"I didn't know hell was divided into circles," Amy said.

"The core is divided into nine circles," Shadow said, " The first circle is for those who picked neutrality. The next seven are for Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. The final circle is for those whose sins are so serious that the punishments of the top eight circles would be too good for them. For example, serial killers and cruel dictators go the ninth circle. The final circle also is not categorized and does not have a specific punishment like the top eight. Your punishment in the ninth circle depends on what sins you committed and can vary."

"What punishments are in each circle?" Amy asked.

"You'll see when we fly over them," Shadow replied, "I'll tell you what circles we are flying over. We are about to fly over lust."

Amy looked down and saw thousands of sinners being blown about by a massive wind. Similar to how their passionate desires threw them to and fro during their lives. Amy saw a few well known rapists among the sinners of the circle.

A few minutes later Shadow said the word "Gluttony". Amy looked down to see a muddy landscape in which thousands upon thousands of anorexic looking sinners lay in mud. Starvation was obviously their punishment.

After a half hour, Shadow shouted "Greed". Amy looked down and saw many people being crushed by large numbers of gold ingots. Amy even recognized a few as former politicians who had died when she was on Mobius.

"Sloth," Shadow said a few minutes later.

Amy looked down and saw sinners sprinting away from demons with whips. Endlessly forced to run and be whipped less they should slow down.

More time went by before Shadow notified Amy that they were going over the Wrathful section. Amy looked and saw thousands of people constantly fighting in a large muddy river. The sinners were doomed to be endlessly pummeled by each other.

"Scourge will most likely go there," Amy growled.

"The envious," Shadow said after another short interval.

Amy looked down and saw thousands of people wandering around blindly. Amy realized that all of their eyes had been plucked out, leaving them to wander blindly for all eternity, never able to cast another envious gaze again.

"The prideful," Shadow said.

Amy saw a massive graveyard of molten red metal tombs, each contained a narcissist or someone similar. Amy was reminded of Fiona when she saw this circle.

"We're coming up to the final circle," Shadow said, "This is where most of Hell's demons live so be ready to fight."

Shadow flew over a large lake of lava in which the center was an island with an enormous palace on it. Even from how high they were, Amy could feel the heat from the lake of lava. Shadow lowered his altitude when they were close to the island. Eventually they landed on the edge of a rocky cliff and began walking toward the palace. Halfway there, they were spotted by demon sentries.

Amy ducked behind Shadow as a shower of arrows rained down on them. Shadow held up his shield and blocked the brunt of the arrows. However blocking the sheer number of arrows with the shield started to take a toll on his mana. Although weakened, Shadow managed to hold out. Amy meanwhile began to pick off demons from behind Shadow.

"Shadow do you think we can get in there and get to the Urn within five minutes?" Amy asked sharply before ducking behind the shield again.

"Not with all of the demons in the way," Shadow replied, "Why?"

"I have a way to neutralize those demons," Amy said before shouting, "Tempus Halt!"

All the arrows that the demons had been firing slowed and stopped in mid flight as time slowed to a crawl before stopping completely.

"We've got five minutes," Amy roared, "Lets run!"

Amy and Shadow sprinted through the gate of the palace and high tailed it for the central chamber. They sprinted faster than they ever had before. All around them demons held still as the spell Amy had cast stayed in place.

Amy and Shadow ran down a series of gothic style hallways lined with prison cells for numerous sinners. After five minutes of running, Amy's mana started to run out. To help the spell go on longer, Shadow carried Amy in his arms so she could rest and slow her mana consumption. The two eventually reached the central chamber and just managed to bar the door shut as Amy's mana ran dry and time resumed.

Amy panted and chugged an energy drink that Shadow gave her in the hopes of replenishing her mana. However the two were interrupted by an eerie clapping from the other side of the room.

Shadow and Amy wheeled around to see a beautiful woman with the wings of a bat approaching them.

"An excellent performance I must say," The woman said, "Using a time spell to stop my soldiers from killing you. Though it cost you a lot of mana that doesn't seem to have concerned you."

"Who are you and where is the Urn!" Shadow demanded harshly.

"Manners boy!" The woman snapped, "Be mindful of how you address someone. Especially if that person is of great power. I go by many names. The most popular of which are the Devil and Satan. You may call me Lucifera however. As for the Urn…."

Lucifera pointed at a throne on the other side of the room. Shadow and Amy looked at it and saw the Urn resting on it. The two could not believe who they were talking to.

"YOU'RE THE DEVIL!" Amy shouted aghast.

"That I am," Lucifera replied, "If you can defeat me than the Urn is yours. If not I will give it to my son Nazo."

"Figures Nazo would be your son," Shadow snarled, "Lets fight, that Urn isn't going anywhere!"

Shadow drew his sword and lunged at Lucifera. Lucifera raised her hand and flicked her finger in the air. The result was an enormous shockwave that sent Shadow crashing against a wall. After hitting the wall Shadow crumpled to the ground and slowly got up again.

"She's powerful," Shadow said, "Amy we can't attack her directly. We need to weaken her first."

Amy nodded and pulled a small bottle of holy water out of her pocket.

"I thought this might help if we had to come here," Amy said before opening the bottle and took Shadow's shield. She then threw the shield at Lucifera. Because the shield was a holy artifact it paralyzed Lucifera as it approached her, leaving her unable to dodge the massive disc of metal. The shield hit her but did not knock her over. Amy then threw the bottle of holy water at Lucifera. The bottle shattered on contact and drenched Lucifera in holy water. Lucifera's skin began to redden and bubble. This kept Lucifera paralyzed just long enough for Shadow to sprint forward and decapitate her with his sword. Shadow then ran forward and grabbed the Urn before returning to Amy.

"Nice plan." Shadow said, "We should head to my world before Lucifera regenerates. Unlike other demons, killing her does not make her fall asleep until the apocalypse. Her body will regenerate and she will wake up before too long."

Amy nodded and Shadow muttered the enchantment that would send himself and Amy back to his world.

*** Meanwhile

A large silver hedgehog with two upward sets of arching quills stood up from his throne and dismissed the messenger who had brought him news of his mother.

"So my mother was unable to defeat them as well," Nazo said to himself looking out a window at the barren rocky landscape that surrounded his castle, "Figures, she did have a disadvantage being pure demon. The artifacts they used on her will not affect me."

Nazo strode over to a large circular table that was a map of the world he lived in. After studying the map for a second he marked a spot on it with an old fashioned quill pen.

"That is most likely where they will go first," Nazo said to himself, "That is where I will send my forces to retrieve the Urn."

Nazo strode over to a writing desk, grabbed a piece of paper, and began writing furiously on it. When he was done he muttered an incantation that sent the letter to its intended receiver.

"That should reach General Silver in a moment or two," Nazo said to himself, "If he follows my orders to the letter than hopefully he will succeed in retrieving the Urn for me. If not, well, there are others I can send after them."

Nazo reseated himself on his throne and closed his green eyes. Shadow and Amy had a surprise coming for them when they returned to Shadow's world.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter was only partially proofread so I apologize for any grammar or spelling errors.**

Chapter 8: The Harvest Festival

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

The forest of Pangaeaterra was peaceful to say the least. Trees were starting to turn from green to yellow and small non-anthro animals were stocking up food in their dens for the coming winter. In a small clearing, there was a flash of light and two hedgehogs appeared; one was pink, the other black and red. The black hedgehog took in a deep breath of early autumn air while the pink hedgehog looked around in wonder.

"So this is your world huh," Amy said, "It seems so peaceful."

"Looks can be deceiving," Shadow replied, "Despite its peaceful appearance my world contains many dangers. Far more than your world."

"You never told me the name of this place," Amy asked, "What do you call this place?"

"This world is called Pangaeaterra," Shadow said, "It means 'central land'. If you look at a map of my world it looks a lot like a fat crescent moon, or to be more precise a circle with a hole on one side. Surrounding this circular shape is a large ocean which extends for quite a ways. If you were to cross that ocean you would eventually reach what we call the outer lands. The outer lands are rarely visited as they are very dangerous and there is a lot of superstition about them. According to legend they were once the colonized by an ancient race called the Myr. However our legends also state that the Myr were wiped out long ago by the people of Pangaeaterra."

"Who all inhabits this place?" Amy asked.

"Like your world, Pangaeaterra is inhabited by humans and anthropomorphic animals," Shadow said. "However our world also contains a large amount of monsters. I'll need a map to show you who inhabits what."

Shadow pulled the said map out of a pocket in his armor and spread it flat on the ground. Just as he had said, the map consisted of three parts. In the center was the continent of Pangaeaterra, looking like a cookie that someone taken a small bite out of. Outside the supercontinent was a large ocean and then a blank area the extended to the edge of the map. Pangaeaterra was divded into five irregularly shaped sections. One colored red, one colored, black, one colored green, one colored white and then the hole in the side which was colored blue.

"The hole in the side of the continent is not completely empty," Shadow said pointing to the blue area, "It consists of a large group of islands that you rarely find in the outer ocean. This area is largely inhabited by Human fish hybrids called waterfolk and sea serpents. The red area is mountainous and is inhabited by goblins and dragons. The white area is grassland and is inhabited mostly by humans and other grazing animals and has practically no monsters. The black area is where King Nazo's territory and is rocky wasteland, swamp, and desert. It is where most of the Vrog are created and nearly human and Anthro free. Many monsters originate from this area including vampires, werewolves and undead. The last section is the green section where we are right now. This territory is all forest and the only monsters you with usually find here are giant spiders and other oversized non-anthro animals. It is in this forest that most anthros live as well as some humans. My village is to the east of the border between the forest and Nazo's wasteland. Any questions?"

"Yeah, actually," Amy said, "Who all are on the good guys side and who is aligned with King Nazo?"

"Generally the forest and grassland area's form the what you would consider the 'good guys'," Shadow said, "The bad guys include the mountain area and wasteland area. The island sector tends to be neutral and can either be good or bad depending on the circumstances."

"What do you know about the outerlands?" Amy asked, "They sound mysterious."

"They are," Shadow replied, "There are many legends about the outerlands. All I know about them is what I have heard from the legends. According to legend they extend to the edge of this world and if you go too far you will literally come to a place where the world ends. Unlike your world ours is a flat disk. One thing I can tell you is that very few people who go to the outerlands come back alive. Those that do usually refuse to talk about it."

"Creepy," Amy said and was about to ask about some of the legends of the outer lands when she felt something poke her in the back. Amy and Shadow jumped up to find themselves surrounded by a mixture of humans and animals who were pointing bows at them. Among the front of the group was a woman with a brown leather hunting outfit and scarlet hair and green eyes.

"Ki est tu?" The woman said in a thick accent.

"Ji est Shadow," Shadow replied, "Ji est dé ré villa dé rébarra."

The woman signaled the group of animals and humans to lower their bows. The group did so.

"Um, Shadow?" Amy asked, "What's going on?"

"Oh yeah that's right you do not know our language," Shadow said, "Dictus Tranlatus!"

There was a brief moment of silence before Amy realized the meaning of the incantation. Shadow had used a spell to allow Amy to know his native language.

"Now that you understand us I should introduce myself," The Woman said, "I am Myrrah, resident lycanthrope of the village of Rébarra. Shadow was just saying telling me that he is also a resident the same village."

"Um, What's a lycanthrope?" Amy asked somewhat confused.

"A lycanthrope is a werewolf," Myrrah said, "I am a werewolf."

"Um Shadow didn't you say that all werewolves came from Nazo's territory?" Amy asked.

"Yes that is true," Shadow said, "If you are who you say you are, why are you a villager of Rébarra. Shouldn't you be working for Nazo."

"I switched sides," Myrrah said, "I was accepted into the village and became leader after it was found out that Rouge was dead. That actually begs the question. Where have you been for the last month?"

"Rouge died to save the Urn from falling back into the hands of Nazo," Shadow said, "She sent me to another world to find a new contractor."

"And I assume that this is your new contractor," Myrrah said pointing to Amy.

"Yes," Shadow replied, "That she is."

"Well, all I have to say is welcome aboard miss….," Myrrah paused as she did not know Amy's name.

"Amy," Amy said, "Amy Rose."

"Well welcome to the team Miss Rose," Myrrah said, "I hope that you do not mind bloodshed because we are fighting a war in this world."

"I know," Amy said, "Shadow filled me in on your fight against King Nazo."

"Excellent," Myrrah said, "Since you already know what is going on than I suggest we return to the village. You can help set up for the celebration."

"Celebration?" Shadow asked confused.

"It's the Harvest festival you fool," Myrrah said, "Surely you haven't forgotten."

"I must have been to focused on Amy's training to remember," Shadow said, "I kind of lost track of time when I was in Amy's world."

"In any case," Myrrah replied, "Since your contractor is female she will need a kimono for the festival. I can give her a spare one of mine."

"Cool!" Amy said, "I've always wanted a kimono."

Myrrah chuckled as Shadow, Amy, and the rest of the group of humans and animals headed east towards the village of Rébarra.

Amy twisted from side to side in the mirror in Shadow's hut. The kimono that Myrrah had originally given her had been far too big for her to wear and Amy had to use magic to shrink it down to her size. This was to be expected though since Myrrah was a human and Amy was an anthro.

Amy examined herself for a few more seconds before Shadow reentered the hut carrying his armor.

"Finally," Shadow grumbled, "It took them forever to fix all the cracks in this thing."

"Well we've been though a lot of battles," Amy said, "I'm surprised that the smith didn't have to keep you armor overnight."

Shadow shrugged and pulled out his sword Mercy before attempting to polish it.

"How do I look," Amy asked a little nervously.

"Amy I already told you, You are by far the fairest woman in the village," Shadow smiled, "That Kimono only enhances your beauty."

"Your only saying that because we're boyfriend and girlfriend now," Amy said blushing "Come on, there has to be some flaw in my appearance."

"A flaw?" Shadow said with a raised eyebrow, "Amy I could scan your appearance for a millennia and never find a flaw."

"You're too kind," Amy said, "I'm a little nervous for the festival. I still don't know the customs of this place very well."

"Don't worry about that," Shadow said, "I'll help you learn them. Keep in mind this place is tribal and people have a high sense of honor. As long as you respect someone, they will respect you. Besides, you are already pretty high up on the scale since you are with me."

"You're pretty popular around these parts?" Amy asked.

"I'm the best warrior in the village," Shadow replied before he set down the polishing rag and sheathed his sword, "Even though I am a gokuro and was created by magic these people respect me the same way they would a naturally born person."

At that moment a bell rang somewhere in the middle of the village signaling the beginning of the festival.

"We should head out," Shadow said putting on formal garments that consisted of a simple leather shirt and tunic, "It's beginning."

"You look like someone from the middle ages with that tunic," Amy said, "Don't men always wear pants in this world."

"Keep in mind my world is in a feudal era," Shadow said, "While men often wear pants we also wear tunics on occasions such as these."

Amy nodded in understanding and followed shadow out of his hut, passed the other huts of the village, and over to a large clearing where the festival was being held. Amy saw a large assortment of humans and different anthropomorphic animals chatting, eating, and drinking. A little ways away from the crowd was a raised stone area where people were dancing.

"Care to dance," Shadow asked, "I'll show you how we do it."

"I'd love too!" Amy practically squealed before following Shadow to what she guessed was the dance floor.

Once there Shadow put one hand at her waist and one to her other hand. Meanwhile a small group of humans and animals with various low-tech instruments began to play music

"This one is pretty simple," Shadow said, "It is similar to the waltz of your world."

Amy and Shadow danced. Amy's eyes were wide with joy as she danced. She had never attended dances or proms on her world since she had always been sort of an outcast. But here with Shadow, she was finally able to do something she had always dreamed of; to dance with a man who loved her.

After fifteen minutes Amy and Shadow took a break for food and drink. Amy was intrigued at the choices of food available. The food was similar to Japanese more than the medieval era of her world. There was a lot of rice, bread, fish, roasted boar, chicken, and even curry. Amy picked a few bits of each and went over to sit at a table with Shadow.

"So Shadow, do these festivals have any special activities besides dancing?" Amy asked.

"On such occasions as these elders and other learned men will tell stories about the ancient legends of our world," Shadow replied, "My favorite is the legend of Haste, a man who traveled to the edge of the world and returned without to tell about it."

Shadow saw an old white bearded human man come out of a nearby hut and seat himself on a tree stump.

"Speak of the devil there is the chief storyteller now," Shadow said rising from his chair and motioning for Amy to follow him.

The two went over to the now gathering crowd around the old man and seated themselves on the grassy floor of the clearing. Once everyone had gathered, the old man began his tale.

"This is the tale of a man named Haste," The elder said, "Long ago Haste desired to travel to the ends of the earth. We all know what lies in the five regions of Pangaeaterra but no one at the time knew of what lay in the outer lands. Haste traveled for many days and nights across the ocean that surrounds our continent. After a year of sailing and many cases of being blown off course, Haste reached the outerlands. What he found was a place that defied the laws of normality. Massive mountain like structures that floated off of the ground, wondering machines of ancient times, and ruined cities of a long lost race. It was here that he met the last surviving member of that race. Though he did not reveal his name, the member of the race revealed that his people were called 'the Myr'. The last member gave Haste the ashes of death and the urn of spirits and asked him to keep them safe. However upon returning to Pangaeaterra, Haste was captured by King Nazo who took both artifacts from him and executed him. You all know what happened next with Chief mage Rouge and the gokuro Shadow. These are the events that have led us into the war in which we now face."

The surrounding people broke into applause for the old man's story and were about to return to the other festival activities when a battered and bloody guard came sprinting into the clearing.

"All warriors come forth," The guard shouted, "King Nazo's forces have invaded the village."

Shadow, Amy, Myrrah jumped up and ran forward to the guard.

"Which direction are they coming from," Shadow asked worriedly.

"They're coming from the west," the guard replied, "All of my men were wiped out so quickly we couldn't sound the alarm. They are carrying Litch vro…."

The guard was cut off as an arrow whistled through the air and hit him in the throat. Shadow pulled out his sword but was wary since he didn't have his armor with him. Amy summoned her arcane bow while Myrrah used her powers to transform into a six foot tall werewolf.

"I thought werewolves could only transform at the full moon," Amy asked as vrog began to pour into the clearing.

"We are forced to transform at the full moon," Myrrah replied in the same voice as her human form, "On normal days we can transform at will."

Shadow sprinted forward and cleaved the heads off of several human/tiger vrog hybrids in one stroke of his sword. Amy shot several others through the foreheads and Myrrah tore others apart with her claws and fangs.

"We need to hold them off in time for the villagers to escape," Shadow shouted as his shirt was stained with ink black vrog blood.

Amy and Myrrah nodded and began to slow their attacks and focus on blocking and parrying attacks so the villagers would have time to escape. However this strategy had a hole in it since acting defensive did not reduce the number of vrog that were starting to surround them. Within a few minutes the villagers had all cleared out into the forest. Unfortunately the three were now also surrounded by powerful litch vrog. Just as Shadow, Amy, and Myrrah were preparing to get overrun, the vrog stopped attacking and stepped aside to allow someone to walk forward.

A silver hedgehog walked through the motionless vrog and stared dead in the eyes of Shadow and Amy.

"I'll cut to the chase. I am general Silver of the Vrog division of King Nazo," Silver said, "Return the Urn of Spirits to its rightful owner and you will be pardoned execution."

"Fat chance," Shadow snarled, "We know what Nazo plans to do with the Urn of Spirits."

"Then I have no choice but to annihilate you," Silver said and was raising his hands to signal the Vrog to attack when something unexpected happened. Amy's eyes turned a fiery orange and she stepped forward and uttered a single phrase.

"MANA LEAK!" Amy shouted. All around the clearing the vrog, who needed mana to survive, turned to ash and fell to the ground in piles as their mana left them. Silver, Amy, Shadow, and Myrrah all nearly collapsed as their mana drained away to completely empty.

Shadow, realizing Silver's weakened state, sprinted forward and decapitated him with a swing of his sword. He then turned around and saw two things. The first was Amy, whose eyes returned to green before collapsing on the ground. The second was a shadowy figure sprinting away from behind a house. Shadow, however was more concerned with Amy's safety and sprinted over to see if she was alright.

"Amy, Amy can you hear me," Shadow said as he lifted Amy into his arms.

Amy didn't respond.

"She's unconscious," Myrrah said, "Whatever just happened obviously took up all of her energy. We need to get her to a cabin until she wakes up."

Shadow nodded, picked Amy up in his arms and began to walk back to his cabin. Now he was certain Amy was safe questions started to pop up in his head. Who had he seen sprinting away from the clearing just as Amy fainted. Was that person related to why Amy suddenly conjured a spell he had never taught her.

Shadow shook his head. That would have to wait until Amy woke up, maybe she could tell them how she knew that spell.

A shadowy figure watched as Shadow and Myrrah carried Amy back to their hut. He sighed thankfully that the Urn of Spirits was still safe.

"Their probably wondering what happened to their friend," the shadowy figure said to himself, "I'll make contact with them in a few hours. They are much better guardians of the Urn than Haste ever was."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: His Name is Xul

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

While Shadow and Myrrah waited for Amy to wake up, guards were stationed around the village in case more of Nazo's forces attacked. With the Harvest festival officially canceled due to the attack, most of the villagers stayed inside their huts. As the hours passed and Amy still did not awake, Shadow and Myrrah considered finding the village's doctor to make sure she was alright.

"So it is decided then," Shadow stated, "I'll go find the village doctor while you stay here with her."

Myrrah nodded and returned to the hut's couch while Shadow strode over to the door. However, before Shadow could reach the door to leave there was a knock on it. Shadow opened the door and was greeted by a towering black cloaked figure whose face could not be seen under his hood. The only thing that could be seen were a pair of burning orange eyes and long white hair that ran down the creature's chest

"Who are you!" Shadow shouted drawing his sword. With everybody residing in their cabins for the night Shadow could only assume that this being in front of him was someone sent by Nazo.

The entity in front of Shadow raised two long nailed gray hands and lowered hood. As soon as the hood lowered long white hair spilled down the entity's back. The thing in front of Shadow vaguely resembled a human. It had dark grey skin on its face and pointed elf-like ears.

"Sheath your sword," the creature said parting his cloak with his arms to reveal an iron chest plate of armor, "I am not here to fight."

"Who are and what are you doing here?" Shadow said, still refusing to lower his sword.

"I am a mere visitor to this region," the creature said, "But if you must know, my name is Xul. I have come to make sure that the Urn of Spirits does not fall into the hands of evil; especially king Nazo."

"You are an enemy of Nazo then?" Shadow said in a slightly calmer tone.

"Yes," Xul replied, "I am."

"Very well, you may come in," Shadow said sheathing his sword, "Any enemy of Nazo is welcome under my roof."

Xul nodded and walked past Shadow over to where Amy was lying and looked down at her.

"I am sorry I had to possess your friend," Xul said, "However it was the only way to make sure that the Urn of Spirits did not fall into enemy hands."

"So it was you who caused Amy to use the Mana Leak spell!" Myrrah said.

"I had to make sure that the you won that battle and my mana was too low from travel to go into battle with you. Therefore I had to possess your friend and use her mana to cast that spell," Xul replied.

"That explains a lot," Shadow replied, "I was wondering how Amy knew that spell. I still have quite a few questions I would like to ask you though."

"Let me revive your friend first," Xul said before muttering an incantation that made Amy's body glow for a few seconds.

Xul stepped back into the corner of the room as Amy's eyes opened slightly.

"What happened?" Amy asked, "The last thing I remember is being surrounded by Vrog."

"We're safe now," Shadow replied, "The Vrog and general Silver are dead."

Amy was about to ask how that had happened when she noticed Xul standing a few paces away from her.

"Who are you?" Amy asked slightly confused.

"I am Xul," Xul replied, "Forgive me for I had to take control of your body and mind in order to kill the Vrog. I could not let the Urn of Spirits fall into the hands of Nazo again."

"Why did you help us?" Amy asked.

"As I told Shadow, I am an enemy of Nazo and all who would use the Urn of Spirits for evil," Xul replied.

"That still leaves one question though," Shadow said, "What is your story? How did you know how to find us and what race are you. Even I can tell that you are neither human nor anthro."

Xul was silent for a moment before responding.

"I am the last surviving member of the Myr," Xul said, "Many ages ago my people created the Urn of Spirits and the Ashes of Death so that they might conquer the multiverse. I could not allow them to do so. Therefore, I stole the Urn of Spirits and the Ashes of Death from them and used them to wipe out my own race. I would have spared the innocent but there were no innocent among my people. Every single one of them had a lust for power and cruelty which they would kill for. I then brought sentient beings into this world from other worlds so my world would not stay uninhabited. I then performed a spell on myself that gave me immortality through drinking the blood of others, vampirism, so that I could watch the new civilization grow. After the new peoples and anthros were developed enough to perform by themselves, I left for the outer lands where I could guard the Urn of Spirits and the Ashes of Death. After several millennia I grew tired of guarding the artifact so I gave them to a person named Haste when he visited the outer lands."

"That sure worked well," Shadow said sarcastically, "Nazo just killed Haste and took the artifacts from him."

"I know that," Xul retorted, "I was with the Urn of Spirits and the Ashes of Death for so long that I became linked to them in some way. Therefore, I could sense when Nazo took the both artifacts from Haste and when you temporarily left this world with the Urn. It is through this connection I have with the artifacts that I know about the war that has been raging between Nazo and the Alliance. I already know who know inhabits which regions of Pangaeaterra and their alignments."

"So what do you suggest we do," Shadow said, "If you really are a Myr than you must have something from your era that can help us defeat Nazo."

"There was one artifact that my people created that might have an edge against Nazo if he ever gets the Urn of Spirits" Xul replied, "It is called the Eternity Blade. It was created by my father in case the Urn of Spirits and the Ashes of Death fell into the wrong hands. My father was the last good person of my people and was executed for creating the blade. The Blade was then shattered and its pieces were scattered across Pangaeaterra and the outer lands. If we were to collect the pieces and re-forge the blade we could put down Nazo for good."

Myrrah who had been listening to this the whole time found most of it hard to believe.

"You call yourself the last of the Myr and the legends do seem to support your claim but I have a hard time believing that a weapon such as your claimed Eternity Blade could exist," Myrrah said, "Do you have any proof that it exists?"

Xul pulled out a large piece of dark metal from a pocket in his cloak and showed it to Myrrah.

"This is a shard of the blade that I found on my way to the forest," Xul replied, "By itself it is still powerful and can serve as a magic amplifier. You may have your wise men or mages look at if you still doubt me."

"Myrrah, you shouldn't even bother yourself with questioning its existence," Shadow scoffed slightly, "You are the leader of the village and wouldn't be able to come with us to collect the pieces even if you wanted to. I for one believe Xul. If you remember the legends said that the Myr had pointed ears like his. Goblins are the only other humanoid creatures of Pangaeaterra that have pointed ears and since I doubt he is a goblin, that leaves only the possibility that he is a Myr."

"Very well," Myrrah shrugged, "I think it would be more efficient to try to learn how to control the spirit soldiers without the Ashes of Death but if you wish to go on this quest I will not stop you."

"If we even do try to gather the shards of the Eternity blade, how will we find them?" Amy questioned, "If we can't sense them we might as well wander around blindly looking for them."

"I know someone who might be able to help us," Shadow said, "There is a witch who lives on the edge of Nazo's territory who is an expert in sensing magic artifacts. She might be able to help us find them or teach us to sense them."

"We should head there then," Xul said, "It is only a matter of time before Nazo sends more of his men after us so we better get a head start."

"We'll leave in the morning," Shadow said, "You may come with us if you wish Xul. Just be mindful not to try to drink our blood, you did claim you are a vampire after all."

"I would have come with you even if you didn't give me permission," Xul said, "I can't afford to let evil take hold of the Urn again. As for my vampirism, you need not worry, I can find wild animals of whose blood I can drink."

Myrrah exited the hut to return to hers while Shadow and Amy went to bed. Xul, who didn't need to sleep due to his vampirism, stood on the porch of the hut and watched the stars through his orange eyes.

**Please Review, a lot of people have stopped reviewing and it has be worried that I messed up on something.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Witch of the Swamps

Disclaimer: I do not own sonic the hedgehog

Several hours passed and eventually the sun began to rise. Xul went inside to wake up Shadow and Amy. After the two woke, all three sat down for breakfast. Shadow cooked some eggs for himself and Amy over a fire while Xul pulled out a vile of blood from hit cloak pocket and drank it.

"We should leave as soon as possible," Xul said after quenching his thirst, "It is important that we get to our destination before sundown."

"Won't traveling in the sunlight kill you," Amy said, "You are a vampire after all."

"My strain of vampirism is not like most others," Xul said, "Although I am still weaker in sunlight than in darkness, I can survive the rays of the sun."

"Good," Shadow said as he gave Amy her fried eggs, "If we had to wait until sundown that would leave an opening for Nazo to attack."

Shadow and Amy ate their breakfast and then packed their gear. After an hour, they were out of Shadow's hut heading for the edge of the village. After exiting the village, the three began to trek through the forest. Amy, who was bored, decided to start up a conversation.

"So Shadow who are we going to see in Nazo's territory," Amy asked.

"The person in question is a human witch by the name of Blair," Shadow said, "She has always been helpful in fighting against Nazo and has taught me a variety of magic."

"I thought all witches were evil," Amy said.

"Not in this world," Shadow replied with a shake of his head, "I've known quite a few witches in my time and most of them are not fond of Nazo."

"I hope she can help us find the pieces of Eternity Blade," Amy said, "If not then we'll have to try to steal the Ashes of Death from Nazo and that won't be very easy."

"Stealing the Ashes of Death would be practically impossible," Xul stated, "I know enough about Nazo to know it would be suicide."

The three were quite for the rest of the trip. They already knew about each other's pasts so there was little to talk about. As they reached the edge of the forest they noticed the ground becoming increasingly swampy.

"I hope you can fly Xul because it is going to become impossible to cross this upcoming area," Shadow said summoning his magic wings.

Xul did not reply but summoned a similar set of wings and flew into the air. Shadow picked up Amy and did the same. Once in the air, Shadow flew up next to Xul and spoke to him.

"Xul, I'll take the lead since I'm the only one who knows where Blair lives," Shadow said over the rush of wind, "Stick close and follow me."

Xul nodded and flew in close formation behind Shadow as the hedgehog led the way over the swamp.

***meanwhile

Nazo watched the three through a large enchanted mirror in his castle. His face was expressionless as he watched the two hedgehogs and the last remaining Myr fly over his territory.

"Send the second General of my forces to their destination," Nazo commanded to one of his guards, "Tell him I want them exterminated."

The guard nodded and left the room.

"Maybe this time you won't escape," Nazo growled.

Shadow, Amy, and Xul continued to fly over the swamps. After an hour of flying, a group of dots appeared on the horizon.

"Incoming vrog," Xul said to Shadow, "Looks like these guys can fly."

Shadow nodded and pulled out his sword while Amy readied her arcane bow. Over the next ten minutes the dots grew in size to reveal 30 large bat winged vrog. Amy began to fire her bow and even from a distance was able to take down a few. However, as the vrog continued to approach, Shadow recognized several of them as litch vrog.

"Xul, do you think we should take them on or try to lose them in the forest," Shadow said, "Several of them are Litch vrog and won't go down so easily."

"I can handle a few litches," Xul replied, "Or have you forgotten how I saved you and Amy in your village."

Shadow nodded and swung at the nearest vrog that had finally arrived. Shadow's sword sliced through flesh and bone as the vrog did not even attempt to dodge him. Several vrog surrounded Amy who was saved by Xul who also sliced through the rog. However despite an initial good first strike, the trio were soon forced to land in the swamp when larger, more powerful vrog began to surround them.

Shadow and Xul crashed through the trees and landed softly on a patch of dry ground that was surrounded by swamp water.

"The vrog are too big to get through the trees," Shadow stated, "We'll have to walk on foot from here."

The three began to trek through the large thick swamps toward the direction of the witch's residence. Every now and then Amy would get startled by the howl of some wild animal.

"Relax," Xul said, "Whatever lives in this swamp will not bother us."

The three continued to walk through the swamps, occasionally a vrog would try to break through the thick ceiling of tree branches and would only end up impaling itself on a tree branch. The three eventually reached a small clearing and with a hut in the center. As they approached the hut, an old human woman with long white hair came out to meet them.

"Tis been a while Shadow," The old woman said, "What brings you here at a time like this and who are your friends."

"My apologies for not visiting Blair," Shadow said, "My friends are called Amy and Xul. We have been very busy protecting the Urn of Spirits from king Nazo. We have come to see if you might help us find an artifact called the Eternity Blade. It was shattered across the Pangaeaterra and we need a way to find it."

"I may have a solution to that," Blair said as she looked up at the sky, "However we have some unwelcome guests among us."

Shadow, Amy, and Xul turned around to see the vrog that had been following them landing in the clearing where there were no trees.

Amy armed her arcane bow, Shadow drew his sword, and Xul readied his magic. However before any of them could fire a single shot or strike, and massive blast of energy incinerated all of the vrog. The three turned around to see Blair holding out her hands which were smoking profusely.

"Vrog," Blair chuckled, "They are very weak in comparison to me."

Xul, Amy, and Shadow stared at her in shock.

"Oh don't look so surprised," Blair said, "How do you think I survive out here. I have methods of dealing with vrog, Now come inside and I'll find something to help you in your quest."

The three followed Blair inside her hut her hut and sat down at chairs around a table.

"The eternity blade," Blair said folding her hands in thought, "I have never heard of such an artifact but I have heard of the Urn of Spirits."

"You said you had a solution to our problem," Shadow asked politely.

"I do," Blair replied, "But do you really want to travel all around Pangaeaterra in search of shards of the reality blade."

"We don't really have any other options," Shadow said, "How else are we going to defeat Nazo."

"Finding the shards of the eternity blade will take too long," Blair said, "Doing so risks the urn falling into Nazo's hands. I shall instead teach you the words of power that you need to control the spirit soldiers within the urn. That way you can use the urn against Nazo."

"You know the words of power!" Xul asked incredulously.

"I do," Blair replied, "I managed to study the ashes of death for a short time before it fell into Nazo's hands. I gained the trust of the spirit general and learned how to control the spirit soldiers. I told Nazo none of the word when he took the ashes of death from me but waited for you to return so I could tell them to you. One of the words of power you already know. The other two for moderate and complete control are garruk and briggah. Don't ask me what they mean for I do not know."

"Well now that we know how to control the spirit soldiers," Amy said.

"We can invade Nazo's castle," Shadow finished, "Finally, after so much time, it is finally over."

"Then I leave you to your duty," Blair said, "Invade Nazo's castle and be done with it. But be warned. There may be a time for you to collect the eternity blade."

"What do you mean by that," Shadow asked, "Have you been having visions again."

"Mere flashes of information," Blair replied, "If they are true than an even greater foe will rise after Nazo is defeated. Waste no time in defeating Nazo and find the reality blade when you have defeated him. My visions may or may not be true but if they are then a war will break out soon after Nazo's death that will threaten both this world and the one that your companion Amy comes from."

"We'll keep that in mind," Xul replied.

"We should go," Shadow said standing up from the table, "Thank for your assistance Blair. We are in your debt."

"Not a problem," the old woman replied, "Now go do you duty."

With that, Shadow, Amy, and Xul left the hut and headed for the direction of Nazo's castle. Hopefully, peace would soon be established.

A/N: I hope the chapter was not too short and I apologize for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Please Review.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Demise

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog

***Nazo's castle

Xul, Shadow, and Amy stood on a hilltop observing a large gothic castle over a few kilometers away.

"So what's the plan?" Amy asked.

"Even though we now have the power of the spirit army we still need to be cautious," Xul replied, "A direct attack would be foolish for we would face all of the enemy Vrog at once. I would recommend that you two take the Urn of Spirits and attack at the north of the castle while I attack at the south of the castle. This way the forces of Nazo will be split into two and be weakened."

"Won't that be suicide for you though?" Shadow said raising an eyebrow, "You may be strong but can you really take on that many Vrog."

"I am strong," Xul replied, "I have the blood of a vampire in my veins. It will be a lot harder for me to die than it will be for you two to die. Even if I do die in the process, it will be worth it to see Nazo's end."

"Very well," Shadow replied, "Let's go."

The three sprinted down the hillside towards the castle. The Myr heading toward the southern end of the castle and the two hedgehogs heading to the northern end of the castle.

Xul sprinted toward the castle at an easy one hundred kilometers an hour and smirked as rock and dead trees flew past him. Within minutes he came to the castle wall stopped.

"MAGIC MISSILE BARRAGE," Xul shouted pointing his hands at the castle walls.

Hundreds of bolts of arcane energy smashed into the castle wall, reducing it to dust, sand , and ash.

Xul's grin broadened as he heard the roars of angry vrog throughout the castle coming to see what the disturbance was. Xul drew his sword and stood waiting for the enemy to arrive. After a few seconds vrog began to appear out of the hole that Xul had made in the castle wall. Even though the vrog had made an appearance, Xul did not attack. Only when he was surrounded by at least a hundred vrog did he raise his sword.

"Black magic cast," Xul chanted, "Black Rose Petal Dance!"

No sooner did Xul finish the incantation than his sword evaporated into a cloud of black flower petals. The flower petals each shot toward a targeted vrog. The flower petals each latched onto their target vrog before it could react and absorbed all of the mana that the vrog contained. The very next instant Xul was surrounded not by vrog, but by piles of ash.

Xul coughed up a mouthful of black blood and spat it on the ground.

"Damn that was fun," Xul said to himself grinning, "Taxing, but fun."

"Who dares enter the residence of the mighty lord Nazo," a female voice shouted from the darkness beyond the hole in the castle wall.

"I Xul, the last of Myr," Xul replied in a haughty tone, "I am the intruder."

A violet female fox appeared in the hole of the castle wall carrying a large sword. She wore violet leather pants and a purple shirt that matched the color of her fur.

"I, Jezebel, head mistress of Lord Nazo cannot allow you entrance," the fox replied, "Prepare to die for your intrusion."

Xul's sword reformed in his hand.

"Well crap that last attack I used on your pets seems to have drained me of most of my mana," Xul sneered, "Looks like I'll have to fight you hand to hand and sword to sword."

"And you shall die doing so," Jezebel said before shooting toward Xul, sword raised.

Xul ducked and sent a roundhouse kick at Jezebel but missed. Jezebel countered with a slash of her own sword that almost nicked Xul's throat. Xul back flipped to avoid Jezebel's blade but in doing so left his back exposed. Jezebel took advantage of this and hurled a throwing knife at Xul's back. Xul grunted in pain as the knife pierced his back and punctured a lung.

Xul landed and wrenched the knife from his back.

"You little witch," Xul said, "When I said sword to sword that means NO THROWING WEAPONS!"

"Life's not fair you wretch," Jezebel sneered, "Your honor in fighting means nothing to me."

The next moment, before Jezebel could even react, Xul was standing right in front of her mere centimeters away from her face.

"Foolish girl," Xul whispered in Jezebel's ear, "I have merely been toying with you. Right about now you will be noticing that you cannot move. That is because of a power I have as a vampire. Any entity of the opposite sex cannot move when I am close to them. I call it, vampiric seduction. You realize that I was only fighting with you because I enjoy a good fight. I could have killed you at any moment but I chose not to. But know I will kill you."

Without another word Xul sank his fangs into Jezebel's neck. Gulp after gulp of hot blood poured into Xul's mouth down his throat and into his gullet. When he was finished, he broke away from Jezebel and sneered as she fell to the ground dead.

"And not a single drop wasted," Xul chuckled licking the blood off of his lips, "I wonder how Shadow and Amy are doing."

***Meanwhile

Shadow and Amy stood at the gate of Nazo's castle. Shadow held the urn of spirits in his hand. Without saying another word, Shadow held up the urn and muttered the three words that controlled the spirit soldiers.

Ghostly skeletal figures began to appear all around Shadow and Amy.

"Kill all of the vrog in this castle," Shadow commanded, "You may wound Nazo but do not kill him."

The spirit soldiers nodded and smashed through the castle gate and began to hack and slash at the vrog within the castle gates. Shadow and Amy calmly walked into the castle and headed for the central chamber. Because the vrog were being killed by the spirit soldiers, Shadow and Amy were able to walk through the castle halls without being disturbed.

"You know I just realized something," Shadow said as he observed a group of spirit soldiers relentlessly mauling a vrog until it was nothing but a pile of rotting meat.

"Oh yeah, What's that," Amy replied casually.

"Given how powerful these spirit soldiers are," Shadow said, "It didn't make any sense for Xul to run off and attack this place on a different front. He could have just stayed with us."

"He probably wanted to feed," Amy replied, correctly guessing Xul's motives, "He is a vampire after all. Either that or he just wanted to fight. He wouldn't be able to fight with us if came with us since the spirit soldiers are doing all of that work for us."

Shadow shrugged not really caring about Xul's motives but glad that the whole affair with Nazo was coming to a close.

The two soon came to the central room of the castle and found a group of spirit soldiers standing over the beaten and battered body of Nazo. In Nazo's arms was clutched a box containing the ashes of death.

"How," Nazo rasped, "How did you learn the words to control the spirit soldiers? I spent years searching for someone who knew the words to control the spirit soldiers in case I ever lost the ashes of death."

"You don't deserve to know that," Shadow replied, "All you need to know is that we are here victorious. You lost Nazo. You will die in a few minutes from your injuries and we will leave."

Shadow then threw the urn of spirits in front of Nazo.

"Most people would consider this foolish but I think it is proper to humiliate you before your death," Shadow sneered, "Even though I have just given you the urn of spirits and you have the ashes of death, you have not the mana nor the strength to use them. Know this, you will die with the things you sought most right in front of you but you will never be able to use them."

Without another word, Shadow and Amy left to find Xul. Nazo waited until they and the spirit soldiers left before grasping tightly the urn of spirits. He tried to activate it but did not have enough mana to do so.

"I will be with you soon mother," Nazo said to no one in particular, "But before I go there is one thing that I must do."

Though he had little man left, Nazo used the rest of his strength to summon two people to his side. One was a green hedgehog, the other was a brown fox with red bangs.

"What the," Scourge said startled, "Where the hell are we?"

"You are in a world called Pangaeaterra," Nazo said from the floor, "Listen closely for I do not have long. Do you wish to rule and oppress the weak."

"I'd love too," Scourge replied, "How did you bring us here and who are you?"

"My name is Nazo," Nazo said, "Now listen carefully. My enemies defeated me and made the mistake of leaving two artifacts of power with me. If you wish to rule and oppress the weak you must first wait a day for my enemies to leave. Once that amount of time has passed you will have to learn about this world. There is a library on the second floor of this castle that contains all the information you will need to rule both this world and the world you came from. I would explain it to you myself but I have about thirty seconds before I die. Do you this and you will rule the weak forever."

And without another word. Nazo's soul descended from his body into Hell.

"Should we believe him," Fiona asked Scourge, "What he said is right out of a fanstasy novel."

"What he said was true," Scourge replied, "If he had the power to teleport us here than what he says is true."

Fiona nodded and looked around the room for something to do while she waited the allotted time for Shadow, Amy, and Xul to leave the area. Shadow looked out of the window of the castle and saw Amy and Shadow regrouping with Xul.

"Foolish losers," Scourge sneered, "You will realize your mistake soon enough."

**A/N: I was in a rush to post this chapter so make sure to tell me if there are errors. If it was bad enough that you couldn't understand it then tell me and I'll edit it.**


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